The ART of vocal producing
I love producing a great vocalist in the studio. A beautiful vocal session creates a feeling of magic, of high level expression, and it creates a buzz of excitement for those in the room who have contributed to the song’s creation. It feels pretty special when all creative engines are firing, everyone goes home elated from the experience.
Producing a vocalist is delicate business, though. A producer can either help guide a vocalist towards blissful self expression OR they can block an optimal performance. Here’s some things I’ve learned from years in studio sessions…
Producing well requires two things: deep listening and good communication.
Deep listening is undivided attention. To truly listen to a singer you must follow every micro-moment of the melody in real-time, the way a dog stares down a treat. It is following every nuance, bend, breath, intention, emotion, hesitation, flub, and improvisation. When the vocalist knows that the producer is listening deeply, it can unlock vocal freedom, confidence, and safe vulnerability. It is invigorating when you know you are truly being heard.
Good communication is the art of not saying too much, but saying just enough in a way that guides someone towards something lofty, yet familiar. As the producer, it’s important to limit the amount of literal things you communicate. Instructions and analyical commentary should be kept minimal- these insights create thoughts in the artist’s mind. It’s difficult to think and sing at the same time, one must feel and use instinct.
Vocalist and producer must trust one another to get to the good notes. Trust stems from feeling comfortable, feeling like we can be ourselves in our home. So many great recording sessions have a surprising amount of time spent not recording, even though studios bill hourly. We might spend an hour in the middle of the session getting into great conversation about life and music. This creates connectivity among the creative minds, and gives our focus a rest. Focus and rest are a happily married couple. Part of the producer’s role is making people feel relaxed, not self conscious, and at home.
For a singer, the sound of their own voice can be an inspiration or an obstacle. If the producer or engineer can capture a beautiful sounding recording, it can inspire the vocalist to perform their best. During soundcheck I love to hear a singer say that they’ve never heard their voice sound so good as it does in the headphones. Recording amazing vocal sounds is a dance between the voice, the microphone, the preamp, and the compressor (and maybe some reverb).
Some artists will sing their best, most soulful takes straight away - in their first take or even during the soundcheck before the engineer is fully prepared. This is a good thing to anticipate and to have your technical ducks in a row so that you capture these first impressions as usable takes. Other vocalists get better as they track more takes, they work up to their best performances. It’s helpful to discern if your artist is the former or the latter.
A great producer is mentally keeping track of the different takes and taking notes. Which takes feel the best, which are technically best, which ones are tired, and which inspired. A great producer knows when they’ve recorded enough takes to edit together the master take, and can quickly assemble the edit on the spot.
Seasoned musicians and producers alike serve the music, they prioritize the music over ego. When high-level, humble people are in the room no one takes differing musical ideas personally. It’s not about whose idea is whose, it’s about the song and what the music itself wants and needs. The music itself has its own tide, it pulls in a specific direction; it’s up to us to hear what it says and to be its messenger.
Lastly, a great vocal producer knows when to call it a day. They have a sense of when energy levels have peaked and it’s time to go home and come back to work re-engergized.